Dawoud Bey

In the few portrait shots that we viewed from Dawoud Bay, he uses expression through peoples hand  gestures such as the position of their hands, the way they use their hands, he also uses facial expressions. These facial expressions give you an idea of each persons personality due to the way they position their face, the way they frown, or the way they smirk. Most of the background scenes in his portraits are blurred, this helps the person stand out in each picture as well as the way he uses the light. The light focuses mainly on their face so it gives it a better view of their facial expressions, which helps us understand through their expression how each individual is feeling.

One thought on “Dawoud Bey

  1. rmichals

    Bey uses shallow depth of field to isolate the subject from the background. This is standard portrait technique. Where I think Bey is outstanding is in using the subject’s gesture to create a sense of personality. What can you take from his work and use in your own photography?

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